Seperation and Sedition
by Alice42D
Summary: A season 2 AU, in which Lance,Keith, and Shiro are captured by Galra, and Hunk, Pidge, and Allura are the badasses who save them. (no pairings, though any combination can be there if you squint)
1. Induction and Introductions

Lance frowned in deep thought as he stared at the smoking mechanical wreck that was his lion. The teen had changed into their Earth clothes, as he had no idea whether or not the planet was friendly towards voltron or the Galra.

The blue paladin surveyed the area, sitting atop his lion.  
Light blue luminescent leaves littered the newly created clearing where he crashlanded, and the swaying violet-barked palms with their glowy leaves freaked out Lance.  
They provided little coverage along the black-sanded coast, the reflections of the blue lion dancing on silver waves, a dull white dwarf sun barely illuminating the almost desolate landscape.

Lance squinted through the protective barrier Blue emitted, and, upon hearing a familiar sound, he yelled.  
"Shit! The Galra-"

He fell backwards as the shocks from missiles rocked the lion's shield.

He hoped the pilots of the Galra could hear him.  
"Wait! Please, Stop!" He cried, waving his arms.  
Get in the robot, Lance "said" Blue weakly, and her human hurried to the cockpit, stepping into his seat gingerly.

Blue projected Lance's face into her barrier, and Lance repeated his plea, adding,  
"I'll come out, unarmed, I swear! But only if you leave my lion alone!"

The Mecha lion growled loudly, both at her pilot and the Galra.  
He sent out a thought towards the lion: to stay safe while he's gone.

Blue snorted in Lance's head.

The ships stopped firing, and Lance could see more swarming towards him.  
"Awwwww Quiznak"

Lance walks out of the barrier, greeted by multiple guns pointed at his face.

He straightens his back as he raises his arms, struggling to come near the sizable height of the Galra troops.  
Two lower their weapons to pat him down. Once they were satisfied, one put cuffs on the paladin, who noted that cuff style had not changed in several thousand years.

Not that it helps me in any way, Lance grumbles to himself, None of us found out how these things work

He's led to a Carrier, and is forced into his knees besides the Captain's seat. Two live soldiers keep their guns to his head as the Captain took their seat. Lance noted the more feminine lower features of the Galra, and bemoaned that lower-ranked officers kept on helmets.  
He made an attempt as casual conversation with the Captain-

"So- uhhhhhhh, where are you guys taking me? I hope it's not the execution block, but I wouldn't mind if it was someone as pretty as you-"

One of the guards smacked Lance with the gun, and the human yelped.

"Shut your filthy mouth, paladin!" The guard growled "How dare you speak to the Captain that way!"

The other spoke, laughter in their tone;

"I can't believe you're the same species as the champion, let alone a member of Voltron! The crowd may like you in the arena"

Lance balked.  
He had seen just how much being in that place had cost Shiro- a limb, his crew, and his memory.  
Lance had lost one of those already, and definitely was not ready to lose anything else.  
While he was thinking about his future, the Captain had already taken off, skimming across the silver waves, and Lance was partly relieved that they had not yet left this planet behind.

* * *

The ship had arrived at the base in which it belonged, and the paladin Lance was transported under heavy guard to the biggest building in the area- The Officer's Above Ground Bunker.  
Lance was swept quickly through the bustling office spaces, and led to the universal communications tower/massive Laser turret.

He tries to flirt with the female Galra, but is adamantly ignored.

The Captain that he came into base with is furiously gesturing, explaining the encounter with the paladin to her unbelieving superiors, begging them to put her on a direct line with Zarkon himself.  
Once they relented, the Captain saluted the screen as Zarkon appeared, a massive frown on his purple, scarred face.

"Vrepit sa!"  
The Captain quickly told her tale, and the frown lessened on the emperor's face as she dragged Lance in front of her, and the human only managed "You look nothing like Sendak!" Before he was interrupted by Zarkon.

"Where is your ship, Blue paladin?"

Lance started.  
"It crashed on a beach near here- Miss Captain here tore me away from my dear Blue-"

Zarkon growled, startling Lance Into silence.  
"I cannot believe she accepted a pilot like you-"

Lance grew enraged.  
"How dare you! I am a perfectly good pilot- and what about you?! The red lion didn't chose you or any of your men, and I'm sure that they're not so hot themselves at piloting!"

The Captain glanced between Lance and Zarkon with Fear- who would dare argue with Him of all people?  
"Why-" Snarled Zarkon "are you such a fool? The Black lion chose me, no one person could pilot two lions at once-"

Lance gaped  
"You were a Paladin?!"

The Galran Emperor sighed, putting an armoured fist under his chin, a low rumble emanating from him.  
"The princess really told you nothing about the previous paladins?"

Lance thought back to Allura- what had she told them about their predecessors?  
"She told us how close their relationships were, how well they worked together... I don't think she knew more- it sounds like she was told these stories second-hand, and never learned any details about any of the paladins."

Zarkon looked thoughtful at this (at least Lance thought so).  
"Paladin."

"Yes?"

"I will have you stay in this captain's quarters. You will fight in the arena when I command."

"And if I don't feel like it?"

Zarkon glared daggers at the human.  
"You will live a cell, and fight at gunpoint"

Lance gulped.  
"And my Lion?"

"She will be repaired."

"And my friends?"

"Their lives will depend on your success in the arena, as well as how well you follow my orders"  
Lance reeled- the lives of his team? Zarkon had them in custody? Then-

"Yes, sir" said Lance dejectedly.  
The lives of his friends depended on him to stay in the emperor's favor. Besides, he was outgunned, outmanned, outnumbered and his lion needed to be fixed.

Zarkon logged out, and the captain glared at the blue paladin.  
"Why do you have to stay in my quarters?"

Lance shrugged, too shaken to smirk.  
"Emperor's orders."

* * *

The Captain led the still-cuffed Lance out of the building, no longer trailed by droids.

As she twisted and turned through the labyrinth of pink and purple, Lance struggled to keep up.  
The Galra all were at least 7ft tall, and this captain wasn't short by their standards. Lance had thought the Gales were cat-like, but the figure of Zarkon had confused him.

Why does he look so different?

Well, Lance reasoned, it's been 10,000 years. It takes approximately 15,000 years to evolve into a different species, so there must have been some changes in the physical departments, especially if the Galra had only started interplanetary expansion after he came to power.  
Lance felt sweat drip down his nose as he rushed after the Captain. No way was he gonna let her best him in anything! He had to show her (at least) that.. that what? He deserved to be a paladin? The lion has already chosen him. He had nothing to prove to Galra.

Though I do need to keep Zarkon happy, Lance thought as the Captain finally slowed down. She looked back at him, sneering when she saw the exhaustion and relief on his face.

Lance examined his new home;  
It was a huge, Byzantium colored, cake-like building, with a glowing brink pink stripe around its top circumference, a triangular bit of pink poking into the metal above.  
The doorway was exactly like those within Galra ships, except that the handprint reader next to the door also had an eye-scanner.

The nearby 13-story tall, excessively pointy triangle of gleaming plum-colored steel, which had a single, enormous window glowing a fierce and vivid magenta, intimidated Lance, which he supposed was the point.

The captain had herself identified, and entered, Lance glanced around, noting that there was only one entrance/exit. There was also no elevator. He groaned at the prospect of having to up and down these giant-ass steps. Since he was smaller than most Galra, he needed to be careful climbing these outsize stairs. The Captain Growled and Lance realized something:

"Yo, Cap'n- What's your name? What should I call you?"

She growled-

"You may simply call me Captain Karzak- and no shortenings or nicknames, either."

Lance shrugged, trying not to snigger at the name

"Sure, whatever- Cap'n Karzak" What's with all those 'Z's', any way?

As they climbed ever-higher, Lance realized how hungry he was- When was the last time he ate?

I think- A little while before we made it to Allura's rescue? So maybe a day, Less even- Oh, how he missed his friends already- It hasn't even been 24 hours? What did Galra eat?

Captain Karzak turned, and Lance hadn't even realized he had spoken aloud when she answered:

"Fruits, mostly- The giant Centipede meat from Home is a rarity but a favorite. What do you eat? Can't have you fainting in the arena, now can we? I'll be killed if you keeled over."

Lance thought back-

"Oh you wouldn't believe the kind of stuff I had back on Earth-"

And as he rambled on, reminiscing about his beloved home, the Captain continued climbing, listening closely- if she didn't know what something was she would ask him later, when they were- ah!

She had reached the 5th highest floor, and placed her hand on the identifier, and took off her helmet for the eye-scanner.

Lance did not know what to expect(except for a rather fuzzy memory of Sendak in a cryopod), but a dark-purple pixie-length undercut and fluffy violet ears was not it. She had the same unnerving pupil-less eyes as Zarkon, but they were a vivid yellow color.

The space was minimalist, but airy; purple light filtered through the slits circling the wall like a massive ouroboros, illuminating a round, open room.

Karzak went over to the fridge-looking thing, and pulled out two`purple, hand-sized spheres with yellow stripes, and handed one to Lance.

She tapped a holo-screen next to the fridge, and the shapes indented in the floor rose to produce a table and three chairs. Lance clambered onto a chair, and rested his elbows on the table, checking out the apartment as he bit into the odd fruit.

Karzak placed her helmet on the low wall separating the place in two, and took off her chest armour, placing it near the odd plant, and then sat down across Lance, curiously glancing at the way he ate the fruit. Lance stopped chewing, swallowed, and asked

"What?"

"The way you eat is weird- you're wasting the juice…"

"What?"

She bit into the fruit, and it started to shrink and shrivel.

Lance gaped-

"What- are you guys vampires? Do you drink blood, too?"

Karzak laughed, like she had heard that somewhere before, in a widely different setting.

"Only some of us can drink blood, and I don't like the taste, so no need to worry."

Lance breathed with a sigh of relief, and continued to munch up the fruit.

"Unless- some people collect blood samples, so the arena people might ask for some"

The Blue Paladin almost choked on his alien food, but then calmed himself down to ask a question he was wondering since his fate was announced.

"What's the piont of sending me into the arena?"

The Captain put down her fruit, and leaned back.

"Probably to shut down any brewing rebellions, by showcasing Zarkon's power: If a paladin can't stand a chance in his arena, then how can you" she pointed at him, "and your friends defeat Zarkon?"

Lance sighed, shoulders sagging, and he felt his eyes water. He thought of home, of the seaside, of his family that he left behind.

"I- I never wanted to be a paladin- I only happened upon my lion by accident, I-"

He looked down, willing himself not to cry, "I miss Home"

Sullen silence permeated the wide, empty space.

A light beep came from the direction of the door, and Karzak got up, walking quickly.

She returned with a neatly folded bundle, placing it in front of Lance.

"You'll need to change into this. I'll undo your cuffs once you are inside the lavatory. Feel free to take your time, and… please don't try to escape?"

Lance took the bundle, spirits sinking further.

"I'm outnumbered anyway-is this my paladin suit? Will I get armor? Or is that cheating?"

"You'll get one piece"

* * *

Lance craned his head up to his new audience, their cheers a muffled roar of sounds he'd never heard before. As he was prodded into the arena, he felt exposed in his Altean under-suit. The Galra had only allowed him one piece of armor, and, not wanting the bulkiness of the chest plate, he chose the left forearm piece. This was because, he thought when he slid on the plating, he would need the shield it provided in the arena.

He waved his unburdened arm, smiling. His well-being, he knew, now rested in the hands of these couple-thousand strangers, and( if they liked him) he would probably fare better amidst their cheers.

Lance glanced down at his handcuffs, wincing as the laser-force field activated in a fuchsia glow behind him.

He turned to the guards behind the newly formed wall, motioning his head toward the cuffs, raising his hands to eye-level

"I know I'm awesome, but this a tad unfair, no?"

The cuffs promptly deactivated, and Lance was caught mid-whoop as his right cuff lit up again, and he was dragged a good several feet, a glowing pink light-rope connecting him to the clear center of the ring.

"Now this-" Lance frowned, tugging at the line, "-is definitely a bit too much"


	2. Chapter 2: Desolation and Determination

**Chapter 2:** **Desolation and Determination**

* * *

The light glared down , and the shining metal of the green lion returned that heat ten-fold. As a lion of the forest, Green was used to the dirt, but the parched soil of the planet wasn't even fit for cacti. Pidge hated this almost as much as their lion, but they had become used to similar weather at the Garrison.

They were checking out the damages on the outside of their lion, and had removed all armour except for the feet, as the traction on the armour was exceptional, especially for climbing on the sleek armour of the lions.

Pidge's lion had not been right on its landing, and had ruined both the joints and suspension in the Legs.

Pidge, after assessing damages, had went back into the pilot's seat. As if reading their mind, the Green lion had opened a rotating hologram of the planet. Pidge noted the Green cat-head representing their position, and a single, Dark-grey Galra symbol nearby.

"What does that mean?" When the rest of the paladins were on the Balmera, the Galra symbols were a pinkish-red.

 _There is a de-activated Galra location nearby- I feel some dark quintessence, but none of my sensors are picking up any Galra drones or ships. There might be some leftover tech, but that is a very low chance of happening…_

Pidge leaned back and thought. _It's not like I have much choice._

"Do you have any secondary vehicles inside your stomach or anything?"

Green let out an annoyed, telepathic huff.

"Then how long is it to walk? And do you have anything that I can use for transport the stuff needed to fix you? Did the previous paladin leave anything?"

The lion murmured in deep thought, and a large compartment in the back of the their cabin glowed, and a panel slid to the side. Pidge hopped out of their seat, inspecting the items in the previously hidden space.

Utensils of all kinds, Containers of stuff that had been preserved or had rotted for thousands of years. Some of the boxes had their own mini-habitats inside, while others still had the dried-out husks of some alien plants or meats inside.

"I guess the previous Green Paladin was a cook?"

 _He was also quite handy with throwing knives, swords, as well as quite good at disguises and diplomacy._

"Were all the paladins male?"

 _Both the Blue and Red paladins were female, in the last generation. The Generation before, most were female. It varies with each generation- The species was generally Altean when we were first made. It has never been so single-speiced as your group since then, though. Three and a half humans… It's quite a bit._

"Oh, oka- wait _WHAT_." Pidge whirled around. "3 and _a half-_ not five?"

 _Zarkon has always been the Black Paladin- Shiro was just an aquedate replacement. Your halfling doesn't realize that he isn't entirley human._

"How did _you_ find out, then?"

 _The Castle's Genetic scan when you first entered- We were connected when you gave me invisibility._

"But- who's half alien? What species? How-"

 _I beleive it was Keith who was half-Galra. What a conincidence that we are fighting them, no?_

"Keith?! I mean… he's an orphan… so it's possible? But how?"

 _I don't know. How long will you be fine without water?_

"I think maybe a couple hours? Will the Galra have some? How much of a resource is it for them?"

 _I don't think you'll find any, and I have none myself to offer you._

There was silence.

"I'll take that chance- is there a bag I can use?"

One fashionable fanny-pack-looking-thing stuffed with food later, Pidge sets off into the desert, determined to fix their lion, attempt to contact their friends, and, if they're lucky, get a proper drink before death by dehydration.

* * *

Rusty dust blew up with each step Pidge took.

How long have they been traveling?

How much longer would they stumble through these red-coated wastes?

Pidge's legs ached.

Their mouth felt dry, a parched throuat irritating them immensly.

Had their Lion sent them in the right direction?

Was it an hour's walk for the lion, or for them?

What would Green consider a "walk" anyway?

The desert streched on even further, not even a mountain or ravine in sight.

There was simply fields upon fields of dust, an empty silence in the air.

No wind, no noise, no life on this parched land.

Where was this this god-forsaken planet located?

Why was there not even a trace of life?

Was it simply bacterial?

What had happened?

Where were the rest?

I wonder if they are okay…

A bump in the distance caught Pidge's attention.

Was it a trick of their mind?

Pidge hoped not, they _begged_ for what they saw to be real.

They started on a slow jog towards the ever-larger hill.


	3. Chapter 3: Recruitment and Revelations

**Chapter 3: Recruitment and Revelations**

* * *

Alarms blared in the Red Lion, and Keith was desperately trying to get out- He had connected to Shiro's monitors, and Keith had seen the Black paladin haunched over.

 _Not good, not good, not good! I need to get to Shiro-_ The exit hatch behind the chair struggled open with a groan, and he crawled out.

The lion's chin was at a right angle to the ground, the neck at an awkward angle to the half-buried body in the dirt.

Keith scrambled over rocks and boulders, following a cloud of billowing smoke that was ahead of him in this odd brown ravine that both the Red and Black lions had landed in.

The sky, what little could be seen through bridges of stone suspended between the walls, was a dull, uniform grey.

Keith , tearing off his helmet, sped faster towards Shiro's lion once it came into view. His eye's widened once he saw that the lion laying like a sphinx, perfectly fine. It was sitting on a pile of rubble, which was smoking greatly.

"Are you trying to get us captured?!" Keith hissed at it, scrambling to get to the base of the living robot.

Keith nearly fell over when the lion telepathically purred, and replied _Yes- I'll get Zarkon back! I can get him to fix your lion!_

"I-But- What about Shiro? Didn't you bond with him? Don't you know how he feels?"

 _The show must go on- We need to get your lion fixed as soon as possible-_

"Alright- but at least let me in to help Shiro, please!"

The Lion relented, and lowered its head, the catwalk only half-way down before Keith hopped on, rushing inside. He stopped cold at the pool of blood dripping down the entrance of the hatch. He gulped, trying to press down the bile in his throat. Climbing into the cabin, he tried to avoid the red substance, but it still managed to stain his knees, hands, and boots. Keith kneeled next to Shiro's limp body, checking his pulse. _Good- he's still alive-_

Keith was about to take the older man down from his chair, but had noticed that Shiro's side had begun to scab over. Instead, Keith pulled off his armor and began to tear his paladin undersuit into strips, trying to create a sort of makeshift gauze. When he kneeled to put it on, the red paladin saw the wound glow purple as his hands drew near. Ignoring the glow, Keith tightly wrapped Shiro, and asked the Black lion whether or not it had some healing supplies.

A compartment below the purple dashboard shone blue, and Keith opened the bin, taking out an odd, silver cube with round, black markings. The Black lion mentally nudged keith to put it black-making side towards Shiro, pressing the cube to the gauze. Keith swept his hand over an indentation on the cube's surface, and he could hear a metallic "Shunk" noise of metal sinking into flesh. The side pressed to Shiro glowed blue through the wrappings, and keith backed away as it let out an evil-looking black smoke.

 _Don't worry- It is merely purifying the wound, as well as making his body temperature just a bit cooler._

"Oh- thanks?"

 _Your interactions are getting better- Shiro was a nice substitute for the little while you guys were together. I think Zarkon would get you all into a more coherent shape in terms of togetherness. Keeping things hidden from your teammates never worked out for anyone._

"Is- is that aimed at me?"

 _No. Shiro has not coped well with the way he was treated by the Galra, it's far worse than you think, Keith._

"…"

 _I think he wanted to keep your confidence up. Ha! He feels-_

"Is it okay for you to spill his secrets? With him like this?"

…

Keith heard a roar of engines overhead. He got up, and stood over the entrance to the cabin.

If any Galra tried to get up here…

 _Keith. Let them in. Shiro needs a healing pod as soon as possible-_

He swirled around.

"I know! It's just- what will they do to him, If you don't consider him a paladin? I- I can't lose him again, I need him-"

 _It should be fine._

"Why are you so sure?! Where is this confidence coming from?"

 _I am the Emperor's lion. He will Listen._

"And if not?"

 _I_ will _convince him through other means, and so can you._

"Me?"

 _Are you not a Paladin of Voltron? One who, against all odds, fought him, and lived?_

* * *

Keith stood by the black lion in cuffs, agitated even when he watched Shiro pass by in a stretcher, floating gently several feet off the ground, guided by four, living Galra soldiers.

The six droids and four Galra that led Keith into a larger ship kept a wary eye on him as he calmly sat, one leg lounging over the other, on a seat meant for a lower-officer. The Captain of the vessel merely raised an eyebrow, and turned on the huge screen that spanned the rather large windshield of the ship.

"Vrepit sa! May I have a line to Emperor?"

Keith was surprised when Zarkon's face immediately appeared.

The Captain explained how, when he was flying a patrol, he had noticed that two Large columns of smoke had appeared on the horizon, upon inspecting one, an unprotected Black lion lay. That the Red paladin will readily surrender if his leader was to be healed immediately. That the Black paladin was in critical condition, that blood covered the cabin floor, and that Keith had attempted to apply first aid.

The whole time, Zarkon was looking at Keith, curious.

Zarkon topped the captain's speech with a hand.

"I will send my son over- he is nearby, and might be interested in the Lions"

 _His son?_ Keith raised an eyebrow _The dude has a son? Who would have kids with him-_

"Y-yes Your Highness!" What should I do with the Red Paladin until then?"

Zarkon glared at the man.

"I am considering him for a post as a commander- He has impressed me with his fighting style, although it needs work. Show him how the Galra run their bases, the barracks, and general routine"

Keith and the officer jumped.

"I never agreed to this- I'm fighting against you, not alongside your men!" Keith shouted.

Zarkon laughed.

"Maybe my son can convince you otherwise- I need him to pick up the black lion on his way to Headquarters anyway. Besides, you are sitting in a Lieutenant's chair- might as well learn how to be one, no?"

Zarkon blinked out, and Keith fumed, getting off the chair as the captain cautiously scooted toward him.

Before the Galra even opened his mouth, Keith {said}

"No. Absolutely not. I will not become my enemy."

The Captain sighed, almost with relief, and he directed the guards

"Put him in a high Security cell, and when the other wakes, _don't_ put them together."

* * *

Keith guessed that he was taken along the long route to the comings and goings of the base were told to him in great detail, and he listened, in case the information would come in useful. The barracks were a large , round building that was pointed out to him when he and Shiro were flown to the Galra's main base on the planet that he crashed on, Jarr.

Keith was personally introduced to the Highest commanding officers on-base, and, it seemed to Keith, each was taller than the next. His neck hurt from looking up so much.

His cell was simple, square, small, and really secure. No windows, a small entrance with three layers of shields, Keith felt cramped, and a little honored. They thought he was dangerous enough to earn this.

Keith smirked when he was led in, several large guns at his back.

 _So I'm dangerous enough for Zarkon to consider me a commander?_


End file.
